Caramel Colour is the dark brown material that results from the carefully controlled heat treatment of food grade carbohydrates. In fact, for many years Caramel Colour was known as "burnt sugar colour."
Caramel Colour is not a flavor but simply a colouring agent. When Caramel Colour is used at the usual low concentrations required in most food colouring applications, it generally has no significant effect on the flavor profile of the finished product. For those special products with delicate flavor profiles, Sethness-Roquette has developed Caramel Colour with a bland taste even at more concentrated levels.
Caramel Colour is defined and regulated as a food colour additive. The amount of Caramel Colour which can be used in food is limited only by good manufacturing practices.
1) Colour Strength and Hue:
The colour strength of Caramel Colour is defined as its Tinctorial Power. This is the absorbance of a 0.1% weight/volume solution measured through a 1cm light path at a wavelength of 560 nanometers (nm) using a high quality spectrophotometer. The higher the value of the absorbance, the tinctorial power, the darker the Caramel Colour. The colour tone of the Caramel Colour is also important. This is defined by the Hue Index, which is the measure of the colour hue or red characteristics of the Caramel Colour. It is a function of the absorbance at 510 and 610 nm. Generally, the higher the Tinctorial Power the lower the Hue Index and the lower the red tones.
2) pH Considerations:
The pH of Caramel Colour is important in some applications where it may influence the compatibility and functionality of the other components of the finished food or beverage by influencing the pH of the final product. However, Caramel Colour has good functionality across a wide range of pH from 2 - 10. Most Caramel Colour ranges in pH from 2.0 - 5.0, although Caramel Colour which has been neutralized prior to spray drying may have a pH of about 8. Commercial liquid Caramel Colour should have a pH below 5.0 to provide good microbiological stability.
3) Ionic Charge:
Caramel Colour molecules carry ionic (electrochemical) charges which may be either positive or negative depending upon the processing conditions of a particular product. Most of the Caramel Colour used today is anionic or negatively charged. However, there are specific applications where cationic or positively charged Caramel Colour is required, particularly in applications where it comes in contact with proteins as in beer and meat products. Often colour precipitation, flocculation, or migration problems can be eliminated with the use of an appropriately charged Caramel Colour.
4) Viscosity:
Since the viscosity of Caramel Colour can vary, it is important to realize the viscosity is not a reflection of the colour strength of the Caramel Colour. In fact, high Tinctorial Power double strength Caramel Colour is low in viscosity. Low viscosity Caramel Colour is easier to handle, generally dissolves faster, and has greater stability and shelf life.
Caramel Colour is the dark brown material that results from the carefully controlled heat treatment of food grade carbohydrates. In fact, for many years Caramel Colour was known as "burnt sugar colour."
Caramel Colour is not a flavor but simply a colouring agent. When Caramel Colour is used at the usual low concentrations required in most food colouring applications, it generally has no significant effect on the flavor profile of the finished product. For those special products with delicate flavor profiles, Sethness-Roquette has developed Caramel Colour with a bland taste even at more concentrated levels.
Caramel Colour is defined and regulated as a food colour additive. The amount of Caramel Colour which can be used in food is limited only by good manufacturing practices.
1) Colour Strength and Hue:
The colour strength of Caramel Colour is defined as its Tinctorial Power. This is the absorbance of a 0.1% weight/volume solution measured through a 1cm light path at a wavelength of 560 nanometers (nm) using a high quality spectrophotometer. The higher the value of the absorbance, the tinctorial power, the darker the Caramel Colour. The colour tone of the Caramel Colour is also important. This is defined by the Hue Index, which is the measure of the colour hue or red characteristics of the Caramel Colour. It is a function of the absorbance at 510 and 610 nm. Generally, the higher the Tinctorial Power the lower the Hue Index and the lower the red tones.
2) pH Considerations:
The pH of Caramel Colour is important in some applications where it may influence the compatibility and functionality of the other components of the finished food or beverage by influencing the pH of the final product. However, Caramel Colour has good functionality across a wide range of pH from 2 - 10. Most Caramel Colour ranges in pH from 2.0 - 5.0, although Caramel Colour which has been neutralized prior to spray drying may have a pH of about 8. Commercial liquid Caramel Colour should have a pH below 5.0 to provide good microbiological stability.
3) Ionic Charge:
Caramel Colour molecules carry ionic (electrochemical) charges which may be either positive or negative depending upon the processing conditions of a particular product. Most of the Caramel Colour used today is anionic or negatively charged. However, there are specific applications where cationic or positively charged Caramel Colour is required, particularly in applications where it comes in contact with proteins as in beer and meat products. Often colour precipitation, flocculation, or migration problems can be eliminated with the use of an appropriately charged Caramel Colour.
4) Viscosity:
Since the viscosity of Caramel Colour can vary, it is important to realize the viscosity is not a reflection of the colour strength of the Caramel Colour. In fact, high Tinctorial Power double strength Caramel Colour is low in viscosity. Low viscosity Caramel Colour is easier to handle, generally dissolves faster, and has greater stability and shelf life.